Bhutan is mourning the loss of Wangdue Phodrang Dzong , a four-century-old architectural wonder that had dramatically stood on a ridge at the confluence of two rivers before it burned to the ground over the weekend .

A gateway to eastern Bhutan , the dzong was built in 1638 by the nation 's founder , Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal , and was among several fortress-monasteries constructed to help gain control of -- and unify -- the country .

`` The entire society has solidarity for the loss of one of the most important and oldest fortresses in our country , '' said Home Minister Minjur Dorji , who has been on the site for the last three days , in a telephone call .

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the queen have been there since the fire `` trying to morally support the people , '' he added .

`` It 's not just a Bhutanese architectural loss but for the whole Himalayan region , '' Dasho Karma Ura , president of the Thimphu-based Center for Bhutan Studies , said by telephone on Tuesday before visiting the site .

`` Something could not have been built like that anywhere else , '' he said .

The fire started Sunday afternoon and burned through the night , consuming the dzong , which not only housed temples but served as the seat of administration for the district .

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As news of the fire broke out , the king and queen rushed to the scene to oversee the firefighting effort . Most of the dzong 's sacred relics -- hundreds of them -- were saved , many of them dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries , thanks to the Bhutan armed forces , said the home minister .

Some of the relics were carried out , while others were thrown in iron boxes from three - to four-story heights into the cactus below , he said , adding that some of the relics received minor but not severe damage .

Although an investigation is still under way , a short circuit in the wiring is believed to have caused the fire , according to the minister , adding that the dzong was 95 % built of timber .

Dzongs have had a history of fires , he explained , noting that butter lamps had been the culprit in the past . `` Today , it 's modern facilities . We have electrified nearly all the dzongs , and short-circuits could come from poor quality of wiring . That 's where we have our problems . ''

By Tuesday , only stones , which comprised the stairs before the dzong 's entrance , remained of the dzong , according to the Bhutan newspaper , Kuensel , which reported that numerous administrative documents were lost . Bhutan had only just submitted Wangdue Phodrang for World Heritage List consideration in March .

No one was killed in the blaze , and all people have been accounted for , the home minister said , noting that Sunday had been a holiday , and that monks ' residences were constructed outside the dzong .

In a message to fellow citizens published on Kuensel 's website on Tuesday , Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley said that Wangdue Phodrong Dzong will be rebuilt just as the Paro Taktsang , nicknamed the Tiger 's Nest , was after its own devastating fire in 1998 . The Taktsang , he wrote , `` is in fact more cherished and revered today because the fire awakened all of us to the fragility and vulnerability of this most precious heritage . ''

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With its contours built into the ridge 1,350 meters -LRB- 4,430 feet -RRB- above sea level , Wangdue Phodrang is inaccessible on three sides save for a narrow path in the front , Dasho Karma of the Center for Bhutan Studies pointed out . Its hilltop location overlooking the Punatsangchu and Dangchu rivers offered a military advantage -- and the same inaccessibility that was intended to ward off enemy attacks on Sunday hampered efforts by firefighters to put the blaze out .

Minjur Dorji said there was no financial estimate for the destruction of Wangdue Phodrang Dzong , which has been immortalized in art as well as in a Bhutanese ballad composed in the late 19th century . `` Dzongs are priceless , '' he said .

`` It is a big loss . Bhutan is a very small , tiny country . To reconstruct the same old structure at this point is going to be very difficult for our internal revenues to support . ''

Only Simtokha Dzong and Punakha Dzong , both completed in 1631 and also by Zhabdrung , are older . Punakha 's dzong has itself weathered numerous fires , quakes and floods over the centuries and has been rebuilt many times .

This week 's fire will prompt Bhutan to shift its policy to protect its centuries-old dzongs , the home minister said . Such policies would include ensuring a high quality in the electrification of the dzongs , adequate fire-extinguishing equipment , alternatives to timber which comprise most dzong construction -- and multiple exits .

`` In fortified fortresses , there is only one exit . We need to have multiple exits so that lives are not lost , '' he said .

To observe a national day of tragedy , the home ministry declared all offices and schools across the country closed on Monday .

`` It was one of the most magnificent sites of Bhutan -- that dzong , '' said Dasho Karma . `` For me it was always an uplifting experience to come to view it . It was always a great esthetic experience to sit quietly at the point where you could see that dzong . ''

He hoped the king would rebuild the fortress , `` which will inspire future generations ... in the same way that the founder of Bhutan did , '' he added .

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Prime minister says dzong , destroyed by fire on Sunday , will be rebuilt

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Dzong not only housed temples but served as administrative seat for district

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Most of the dzong 's sacred relics -- hundreds of them -- were saved , home minister says

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King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and queen have been on scene since the fire